Modi govt allows Pakistani refugees to stay back in India after visa expiry

Indian home ministry says minority refugees will be allowed to stay back in the country on humanitarian grounds

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on Monday announced its decision to allow minority refugees from Bangladesh and Pakistan to stay in India after their visas expire. 

The government claimed the decision was based on humanitarian grounds and came under the Passport (entry into India) Act, 1920 and Foreigners Acts, 1946.

"The central government has decided, on humanitarian considerations, to exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, in respect of their entry and stay in India without proper documents or after the expiry of relevant documents," a press release from the Indian home ministry read.

Read: Pakistani Hindus can now apply for long-term Indian visas online

According to government reports, numerous Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities in their respective countries, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis and Buddhists, have taken shelter in India fearing religious persecution back home.

These minority refugees include all those who either entered India without legal travel documents as well as those whose documents have expired.

Read: Canadians to be granted visa on arrival in India

At least 0.2 million Hindu and Sikh refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently residing in India, officials claim. Given the large number of refugees, the matter has been of concern for the central government of India for a while now.

This article originally appeared on The Times of India